I certainly hope your last premise is not the case. Would hate to see you have to have a C-130 air drop your trailer and car.LOL Seriously, I think you will handle everything all right and envy you your move to Alaska.
__________________ America: Love it and protect it or leave it In God I Trust
I support Arizona
Here's some info that came through on the Alcan highway...
I assume you know what it is like up to the border through Montana...many rolling grassy hills and some mountains. At the border, they were much pickier about me getting into Canada than the man who let me back into the U.S. Up through the bottom almost half of Canada it is a big flat windy farm. Kind of like driving through Nebraska if you have ever driven there. Lots of straight highways. You start to get into higher mountains at about Alberta. After Alberta there is hardly any flat spots. After Alberta the gas stations are kind of sparse. I was driving a Blazer with a small U-Haul trailer behind it and I kept a 5 gallon gas can with me because there is one spot where you go about 250 miles between gas stations. Never needed it though. We did it in 4 very long days and Yahoo said it was about 2800 miles. After Alberta it seems like there is a lot of uphill. You cross the Continental Divide multiple times but I cannot remember how many. The higher you get the more scenic it is. It is 11 hours from the border of the U.S. until you get to Anchorage with mountains and wildlife all the way. There is a way you can turn in receipts to the Canadian government for a refund on all of the taxes you pay while there if you prove that you just drove through. I didn't do it so I don't know much more than that. I sent my guns on the airplane with my wife because it was, I believe, cheaper and easier than what Canada wants you to do. Anyway, not much more info. Anchorage is expensive but fun.
I'm so green with envy that I am afraid to go outside for fear that I would be mistaken for an alien. LOL Seriously, it sounds like your plans are realistic and I wish y'all the best of everything.
__________________ America: Love it and protect it or leave it In God I Trust
I support Arizona
Tonight we looked over the Fleetwood Savanna 31G, and it sure looks good.
Last night we looked over a Wilderness Yukon 290BHS, and it's questionable.
The night before we looked over an Arctic Fox 27F - Silver Fox Edition, and it's a very good option. Arctic Fox - Sumner RV Center
All three of these trailers are packaged with four-season fittings.
Does anyone know anything, good or bad, about the Arctic Fox.
I don't know anything about these trailers in particular. But in general I am not to happy with the slide system for winter use. I see you getting ice problems when snow melts on top of it. And the ice will eventually brake up things for you.
Looked at the "pre-owned" trailers in there, and you sure get them cheap compared to trailers here! There's a huge difference between regular trailers and those that are meant for winter use. You can't make short cuts at all, or it will come back in your face long before Christmas...
Wish you the best, good luck!
(That Arctic Fox dealer has zip code 98390. Can't be that far from where I used to live then? I lived at 98115 Seattle.)
Thanks for your keen insight about limiting factors in travel trailers, which affirms what we have felt and learned too...
...and we've taken into consideration when selecting a travel trailer to meet, and hopefully exceed, our needs.
The one we picked, the Savanna, has a protective cover over the slide that extends out when the slide is opened. We'll monitor it to see that it adequately deflects snow and rain, so frost wedging and an ice dam are not issues for us to deal with.
Blowing snow, the horizontal and swirling villain, will have us on our alert toes too. I've got a long-handled broom that'll be put to use removing any snow that enters the space above the slide and below the protective cover.
Also, the slide comes out and then slants away from the trailer, providing what appears to be a natural/created channel to keep water away from the trailer. When I set it up at location I'll ensure the slope of that slide is preserved so it can function as designed for use in all four seasons.
This isn't the first winter that my wife and I lived in a travel trailer. Some years ago we lived/worked in the Hailey/Ketchum area of Idaho. Living expenses were cost prohibitive for us to rent, much less try to buy, a home. So we purchased a 32' Rambler four-season travel trailer. Suffice it to say that we had/experienced a very challenging winter, filled full with learning experiences about the limiting factors and short falls of travel trailers when slammed up against the tight grip of winter's cold. The problems were created through lack of knowledge/experience and/or negligence in three main areas: my greenness to winter RVing, the age of the trailer and associated frailty of major appliances, and unfortunate conditions at the RV park to do with electricity and heatings systems for the water supply line. As a company/product validating note: Rambler makes an awesome four-season travel trailer and I don't want to imply their product is inferior in any way...such implication would be and is far from correct.
Those earlier winter camping lessons learned have been used in the selection of our most recent trailer purchase, and have hopefully guided us well to avoid recurrence of those experiences.
Thanks again for your best wishes and encouragement. It's great to share membership with you at G&G Forum...and the unique commonality of our service for freedom in our country's military; especially since I was able to serve in your country so often.
Last edited by LiveToShoot; 09-21-2008 at 10:36 PM.
I have travelled the AlCan 4 times, and I have used it each time. Contains lots of info for camping, sightseeing, etc. as well.
You can plan out your trip in general using it. A good tool for older children as well. Whoever is riding shotgun can stay ahead of where the next gas is, or the next camping site.
__________________ I keep tellin ya Doc, I'm in pretty good shape considerin the shape I'm in !!
Last edited by SwedeSteve; 09-22-2008 at 10:45 AM.
Can you still Homestead land up there Moose or Swede? My little lady would never be able to go, if she gets cold she gets Bells Palsy. She can't even sleep under a ceiling fan. Or else we would be there. Any Buffalo up there?
LTS- Def cheaper at Amazon !! I'm gonna go back through my notes and give you an idea on what I carried as spare parts for the trip. As soon as I can find my notes, LOL !!
__________________ I keep tellin ya Doc, I'm in pretty good shape considerin the shape I'm in !!
LTS....Good luck on your upcoming adveture. Sounds like you are making all the preperations and plans you need. I will pray for you to have a safe and rewarding journey.
Like CGO said, send lots of pics!!
__________________ Lost time is never found again-B.Franklin
